Strong to severe thunderstorms, including miniature supercells, developed during the late afternoon and early evening hours before weakening and pushing east into Georgia after midnight. The thunderstorms produced damaging winds and a tornado in north central portions of Alabama.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS HUN wrote it up.
Strong to severe thunderstorms, including miniature supercells, developed during the late afternoon and early evening hours before weakening and pushing east into Georgia after midnight. The thunderstorms produced damaging winds and a tornado in north central portions of Alabama. Isolated flash flooding occurred as well.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 27, 11:31 AM CST, 12 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1231 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025 ...New AVIATION... .NEAR TERM... (Rest of Today and Tonight) Issued at 1211 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025 A large MCS continues to move east along a pre-existing boundary setup by last nights convection. This activity is primarily remaining south of many of our northern Alabama counties. The northern fringe of some of this convective activity, mainly just rainfall, currently is impacting Cullman northeast through portions of Marshall and DeKalb counties. The bulk of the severe weather today will likely be confined to the MCS and areas east of that activity into Georgia. However, a weaker area of convergence is still in place north of this feature along a cold front that stretches from near the Graves community in NW Mississippi NE to near the Nashville area. This may be the focus for some isolated to scattered thunderstorm development later this afternoon. 0-6 km shear increases later today ahead of the front in much of our guidance to around 40 knots. The combination of the shear and a very moist airmass (dewpoints in the upper 60s to lower 70s) ahead of this feature may allow for a few storms to be strong to severe later this afternoon into the early evening hours before dissipating. Main threat would be damaging winds or large hail. However, a tornado or two cannot be ruled out given the 0-1 helicity forecast by some models. The confidence is low that this will happen, but we already have around 500 J/KG of SBCAPE and between 500-1000 J/KG of MUCAPE in place ahead of this front. Not expecting that to change much into the afternoon hours, despite the cloud cover along and ahead of that front. One question is how long this activity will last. Most guidance does quickly push the front through the area during the afternoon with maybe the back edge of convection lingering over far NE Alabama into eastern portions of our TN counties around 9 or 10 PM CDT. NAM12 does linger convection longer, but sticking close to NBM for now. Several models planar RH fields show possible clearing between 10 PM and 1 AM tonight. Coupled with light winds and the antecedent rainfall, dense fog looks more like it could be an issue overnight. Increased coverage of fog to patchy or areas south of the TN/AL border, where clouds should dissipate more. A Dense Fog Advisory may be needed if clearing occurs very quickly this evening for the overnight period. Some drier air should work into the area around daybreak into early Wednesday morning. This may help to keep dense fog from being too widespread. This will also likely help lows to drop into the lower to mid 60s. && .SHORT TERM... (Wednesday through Friday) Issued at 1211 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025 As the front continues eastward on Wednesday, a broad occluded surface low develops over northern Tennessee into the Ohio Valley. This will likely keep isolated to scattered rainfall in the forecast and cloudy conditions over the area on Wednesday. Highs should be a tad cooler only reaching the mid to upper 70s due to showers and cloud cover. Wednesday night into Thursday may be another round of some patchy fog at least. However, the stalled front to our south returns northward Wednesday afternoon and evening. Some models push some strong forcing into NW Alabama as a result Wednesday evening or overnight into Thursday and increase instability. Shear doesn't look very impressive though. However, at the very least another cluster of thunderstorms develop late Wednesday night into Thursday over northern Alabama and southern middle Tennessee as a result, as this forcing moves east across the area. Heavy rainfall and lightning look like the bigger threats with this activity right now. This combination should keep fog at bay early Thursday morning and keep high temperatures cooler. Likely, we will only reach the lower to mid 70s as a result. Thursday night we should see a break in rainfall and convection as subsidence behind the departing disturbance pushes further east of the area. However, a more pronounced upper level trough axis and an associated stronger cold front develops over the Mid/upper Mississippi Valley region at the same time. Shear and instability pool ahead of this front late Thursday night into the very early morning hours on Friday. Another round of showers and thunderstorms are hinted at by guidance developing to the north or west of the area. This activity possibly pushes southeast into southern middle Tennessee and northern Alabama. However, the stronger shear may remain north of the area. Some models do develop enough shear ahead of the front this far south to warrant some severe thunderstorm risk, but confidence is very low given the disparity in models concerning this aspect of the forecast. The cold front quickly moves southeast through the area in most guidance by 10 AM on Friday. This system forms a strong occluded surface low and wraps additional showers around it into northern Alabama and southern middle Tennessee Friday afternoon before pulling northeast in the evening. It also advects much drier and cooler air into the area. Highs on Friday despite some sunny skies will only climb into the upper 60s to around 75 degrees. && .LONG TERM... (Friday night through Tuesday) Issued at 1211 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025 A more prolonged break from the cloudy conditions and rainy/stormy weather are expected Friday night into next weekend. With full sunshine, highs will only climb into the mid 70s to around 80 degrees. Some guidance hints at a upper low dropping southeast through NW flow aloft, but most of them keep it west of the area. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1231 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025 Light rain is pushing into both terminals around 18Z. Included a tempo group for possible -TSRA from 18Z to 22Z with a period of predominant lingering -RA and MVFR VSBYS through 03Z at both terminals. Amendments will continue to not be scheduled due to lack of direct observations at KMSL. After 03Z, VFR conditions may return to the forecast, but fog will likely need to be added around and after 05Z in the next 00Z issuance for these TAFs, especially at KMSL. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. TN...None. && NEAR TERM...70 SHORT TERM....AMP LONG TERM....AMP AVIATION...KTW
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:44 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was reported down at the intersection of County Farm Road and Underwood Road. Time was estimated from radar data.
Flash flooding occurred at this location with the roadway covered by several inches of water. Depth estimated to be 4-6 inches.
A large tree was knocked down on Singleton Road.
A tree was knocked down near the intersection of Danville Road and Stone River Drive.
A tree limb was knocked down at this location.
A brief tornado touched down on Redstone Arsenal just off Ranger Road. The tornado bent fencing while entering the property, then proceeded to shift dozens of 500 lb. storage tanks, tossing about 3 of them. Another metal trough tank was also tipped over and tossed. Then, after plowing through a chain-link fence, the tornado struck a light metal frame storage building. The bolts connecting the support columns to the foundation slab were sheared on three of the columns. The entire western flank of the building was collapsed in by the tornado, with metal framework bent as well. Some of the contents of the building were tossed out and strewn downwind several hundred yards found by on-site employees. As quickly as the tornado developed, it dissipated short of Saturn Drive, with no further identifiable damage found downwind.
Several trees were knocked down or uprooted at this location. Aerial damage was evident to some barnlike structures.
Half of a metal roof was blown off of a metal barn structure at this location.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 2025Warnings in Alabama, May 2025
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1277897, 1278193, 1276885, 1276886, 1276887, 1276632, 1277119, 1277116.